Let me say first off that i'm a fan of Vile and I think this new album is a good breath of fresh air in the genre. Also, knowing that these forums have a large American populace and I myself am something of a turncoat, be warned that I may offend some people, not least the band themselves.

So.

TNAOC. Blinder eh? Thing is, one of the things that makes the third album so refreshing are it's themes; lyrics, artwork and the reflections of that in the music. It's been a long time since i've gotten a new DM release that had such conviction and discusses up-to-date issues that are actually relevant and important in the modern world. It's better than more gore anyway.

So what's my beef? I was just wondering about the lyrics; their motivation and what the band is trying to convey with them. Although I love the music, and I admire the balls it takes to release something that is genuinely controversial and contemporary, I can't help but feel deep revulsion and worry at the content. Are the lyrics purely the invention of Urteaga, or is TNAOC's theme something agreed-upon and advocated by Colin and/or the rest of the band as well? It just seems to me to be more of the dangerously blind American patriotism and arrogance that has arguably characterised and fuelled so much of the world conflict and anxiety that is afoot nowadays. I'm not sure if you're aware Colin, or if Juan was aware, but practically every single last country in the entire world (and even the voting majority of the States) disagrees with, and is worried about America's self-ordained and crusading 'world's policeman' mantle.

Concerning the theme of TNAOC more specifically, I can't help but read the lyrics and have, buzzing in the back of my mind, things like the callous torturing at Guantanamo, the fact that the war was illegal (Bush and Blair lying about WoMD; Iraq was never any threat to the security of the Western world, and if you're going to start telling me that Saddam harboured terrorism, well yes, he almost certainly did... but look what the US has now; even greater fears of terrorist retaliation, and do you blame the East for taking issue with being continually historically invaded?) and was probably an economic move following South America's oil policy turnarounds, the fact that more Iraqi civilians have been killed, and their public services and society thrown into far more chaos since the invasion than there ever was before. I'm aware that, technically and idealogically, the war may yet yield net benefits for the people of Iraq in the future, but that future seems far away. I can see some arguing this point, and that it is Iraqi resistance to change that is causing the ongoing violence and chaos, and that is true, but bear in mind this is arguably fuelled by the very arrogance, lack of concern for, and basically complete idiotic ignorance of the lives, customs and ongoing plights of the foreign peoples that America has disrupted for no good reason. Even the future moral argument is rather redundant in the face of the fact the war was illegal and not motivated morally at all. And let's not forget that by UN law, Bush, his administration and the United States are guilty of multiple war crimes. Does anyone take responsibility, or does anyone else in the world have the power to curb America's rampant egotism and blind egoism? No. So the responsibility lies with the US. And then we have the lyrics on The New Age of Chaos.

Is anyone else perturbed? Are non-native Americans really God's only children? Or am I just some kind of terrorist too?

left vs right!! left vs right!!! blah blah blah blah. Its all a hoax.... Things are much easier then they appear. These issues are all well and good, but they are not designed to be solved in terms of left and right. There is no such thing....how? I'll ask you this, Do you think religion is bad? Do you think having a small number of people control the global economy is bad? Do you think pollution is bad? Do think starving kids are bad? See? We all have the same goals....now lets try to work outside of the frame work of the controled debate/morality and we might have something to talk about.

Although I love the music, and I admire the balls it takes to release something that is genuinely controversial and contemporary, I can't help but feel deep revulsion and worry at the content.

Yes, I felt somewhat the same way when I learned of the subject matter of tNAoC. It touches on themes that are so difficult to deal in an objective way, even when taking special care to do it objectively and with tact. Alas, Vile don't seem to have gone for the subtle approach.

After all it is deathmetal, but I fear when I come across this that it further reflects (and potentially fuels) the mis-guided egocentric view of the world that so much of the USA seems to hold these days...

P.S. I just long for the time when the USA (both gov't and people) restores the harmony and goodwill with their allies around the world (the ones that they seem to believe the don't need anymore).

Look the subject matter is Juan's domain. Its perfect for death metal but not my point of view personally at this point. Truthfully when we put this thing out, I thought the War on Terror was real. I thought Juan had some kind of point here. Now I know that 9/11 was an inside job and a pretext to claim the remaining reserves of oil on the planet and scare the shit out of us to initiate a police state. Its pretty easy to follow the clues to figure out who is behind the New World Order once you start with 9/11. Its also easy to get off track though.

By the way left/right makes no difference. They are both controlled by the same international bankers and elite power structure. Its a sharade to keep us distracted. All presidents are selected by these elites not by you and I.

The left is designed to destroy the basic fabric of morality and to dumb us down for easier handling. The right supplies the basic opposition and a fake fight keeps the target moving.

I now have one piece of advise. TURN OFF THE TV, and never turn it back on again. Do not read the New York Times or mainstream media. Then you will be forced to go elsewhere for your information and all of a sudden, things will start to clear up.